It’s hard to believe the year is already coming to an end. Hopefully 2018 was a successful year for you and your business or organization. It has been a big year as far as marketing and advertising trends go, so that means our business strategies have to adjust alongside them.

With the constant increase in internet use, social networks especially adapt their platforms to conform to consumer demands. Research shows that in 2019, people’s time using of the internet per day will catch up with the hours spent watching television-that’s close to 2.6 hours a day! With this in mind, businesses must acknowledge that consumers are surfing the web for almost three hours a day… making your online marketing and advertising strategies there even more important.

Let’s look back at the major marketing changes and trends of 2018, as we plan for 2019.

Social Media Algorithms

Change was on the wind in 2018. Facebook Founder/ CEO and now Instagram owner, Mark Zuckerberg, said, “you’ll see less…from businesses, brands, and media..[posts] should encourage meaningful interactions between people.” As a result, content posted by individuals in close circles and families is now prioritized, making it more difficult for ads and promotions from businesses to show up on feeds. So what does this mean for your business? Perhaps, Facebook and Instagram won’t be as reliable as they have been in previous years for encouraging visibility and driving traffic to your business or website. You may want to try branching out into an alternative marketing strategy on social media, such as using paid ads or micro-influencers. Micro-influencers are non-celebrity individuals who nonetheless have a strong, established following on social media, and can therefore promote your business or product to thousands of people through their social media channels.

Content That is Voice-Search-Friendly

Voice searches aren’t just a feature on our phones anymore – devices like Amazon’s Alexa are carving out a significant niche in our homes. So as consumers increasingly perform searches on devices like this, businesses’ content must also accommodate for such searches. Incorporating natural conversation language, framing content around questions, and using longer phrases (or even full sentences) for keywords now has to be common practice for writing online search marketing content. As of now, 2 out of 5 adults perform a voice search at least once a day. Analysts say that in 2020 it’s possible that 50% of all searches will be made through voice prompts. Will customers be able to find and purchase your products or services this way? Make 2019 the year to implement changes to your plan if necessary.

The Views Are in The Videos

The dominating trend for posting on social media platforms has become videos. It also helps that Facebook and Instagram algorithms favor videos, so that’s a plus! Videos evoke emotion, they show your current and potential customers that you’re credible, vulnerable, and authentic, ultimately leading to higher conversions, compared to photo and text brand awareness, yielding higher return on investment. It doesn’t hurt that smartphones nowadays capture amazing videos, so you get to give viewers an appealing inside look at your business. And statistics don’t lie. According to research, 82% of consumers say they would rather watch live videos than read social media posts, 67% of live viewers say they are more likely to purchase a concert ticket to see a band or attend an event if they’ve seen a live stream of a similar event online, and 64% of consumers say watching a marketing video on Facebook has influenced a purchase decision in the last month. Time for your business to get that video rolling.

Make Your Plan For 2019

Being ahead of the game means not only staying current with the latest trends, but also looking ahead at the ones currently forming for the upcoming year. Want your business to stand out in 2019? Let us help you incorporate some of these new marketing strategies into your plan for the new year. Brockett Creative Group is a full-service marketing and advertising agency with that exact goal in mind – to know and grow your business with the most up-to-date strategies performed with excellence.

With staggering numbers of people worldwide using the internet, it is now estimated that there are roughly 5.5 billion searches performed on Google per day. For businesses and individuals working toward establishing and sustaining a solid online presence, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has undoubtedly become a necessity. By definition, SEO is the process of organically maximizing the number of visitors to a website because the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine.

However, as with many factors within constructing a powerful website, one must have a well-informed approach to performing SEO or risk spending time and money without reaping the benefits in terms of the desired high rankings and high visibility. The first step to website ranking success is knowing what SEO is, how it is used by Google, and why your website needs it. The second step is knowing the right way to perform SEO versus undesirable SEO practices.

Here, we will break the SEO process down in a way that is easy to understand, so that your organization or business can start to see great results in website rankings!

Where It Came From

OK, super quick history lesson. In the 90s, search engines like Yahoo, Dogpile, and AltaVista were on the rise. In an effort to generate as much traffic to their site as possible, website owners realized they could force higher rankings in search results by adding unrelated keywords, “stuffing” keywords, and incorporating hidden text and hidden links. This became known as “Black Hat SEO,” the bending and breaking of rules just to get more website traffic. Users were excited that finding information on the web came with greater ease, but there was a problem with quality and accuracy of the results .

Hence, in 1998, SEO was introduced. Google was created and stepped in with a technology that ranked search results based on the quality of a website as a whole, not just the quantity of keywords stuffed on a page. They established criteria to ensure genuine and accurate results for their users. Therefore, in order for a website to be at the top of search results, it had to meet verifiable criteria. Google’s original goal was, and still is, to “reward high-quality sites, and to keep search results authentic,” also known as “White Hat SEO.”.

Why Being on the First Page of Search Engine Results is Key

The competition is high—data has shown that the first five Google results get 67% of all clicks. The goal of best-practice SEO is to get your website to the top of a search engine results list, without any “Black Hat” factors.

Crucial Criteria for Optimal “White Hat” SEO

Let’s face it, not many of us go further than the first page of Google results, which is why SEO is crucial for your website’s visibility. There is no way to absolutely guarantee that you’ll be the top result, but Google uses an algorithm to rank your website, so taking these steps is your best chance to get your website to appear on the first page—or better yet—in that number one results spot in Google, there are some essential elements that must be incorporated into your website.

Domain age and registration length

Keywords appearing in domain, tags, titles, throughout pages

Meta descriptions

Content length

Speed

User, and mobile-friendly layouts

Links to and from other sites to enhance your site reputation (backlinks)

Since websites will only rank at the top if they abide by Google’s search engine guidelines, it is imperative that your website be set up to meet all the criteria set by Google for optimal SEO. Remember, SEO is about your online presence as a whole. Using paid ads alone won’t get you to the top, since only 15% of traffic comes from paid ads.

It has been said that “if your blog post, article, or product is on any page of the Google search results other than the first, it’s the equivalent of it not ranking at all.” At Brockett Creative Group, our Google Certified experts certified in optimal, White Hat SEO have been getting our clients on the top of the results list for almost two decades. Let our team take your website to the next level, contact us today for more information.

Think Snapchat is just a digital playground for kids? Think again! Once used exclusively by the younger generation, Snapchat is quickly gaining momentum as the next biggest thing for businesses in terms of serving as an incredibly effective marketing tool. Just have a look at the numbers. It is estimated that over 7 billion photos and videos, or “snaps,” are shared on Snapchat every day. Roughly 8,796 snaps are sent per second. And with over 166 million users, businesses can no longer overlook Snapchat as a great potential to grow and strengthen their brand. In fact, recent trends show that the popular video and photo-sharing app is quickly becoming the latest marketing platform used among both large and small companies.

According to its founders, Snapchat was intentionally designed to be a conversational tool with which users could share stories—rather than content—with their audience. These stories, in the form of “snaps,” could be viewed and would then automatically disappear, mimicking the ebb and flow of real moments in our lives. Because of this unique feature, combined with its casual, upbeat vibe, it became wildly popular with the younger generation. However, it is also because of this feature that it naturally lends itself to being a great marketing tool for businesses.

If you are thinking about marketing on Snapchat, some considerations to take a look into are your target audience demographics, the objectives of your marketing program, your budget, and how your brand is performing on other social media platforms.

Want to get in on the trend while it’s still cutting-edge? Here are some great ways to utilize Snapchat to effectively market your business.

Fully embrace the photo/video feature.

Snapchat’s unique platform allows users to weave photos with video, and customize them by employing fonts, digital crayons, and filters. This results in extremely vivid, media-rich content that tends to stick with the viewer much more than standard photos or text. Start your business’s “story” to give your audience an in-depth look at who you are, what you do, and why they should become invested in your brand.

Put your lenses on.

Snapchat’s “lenses” are digital enhancements that the user can overlay onto a snap, thereby enhancing the image in a fun, whimsical way. This feature can bring big results to companies looking to increase brand awareness. For a fee, businesses can sponsor lenses advertising their product. This lens will be available to users to fully engage with the brand (and subsequently broaden its reach) as they employ it on their snaps.

Establish Geofilters.

Geofilters are a great way for businesses or organizations to advertise local events or promote certain causes. Using a location-based filter, users can employ specific graphics pertaining to their location on their snaps. This is a great way for your business to drive a campaign on either a national or a more location-specific level.

Create Snap Ads.

With its ability to catch and hold the attention of nearly double the number of viewers as compared to Facebook ads, a Snapchat ad offers 10 full seconds of video with optional audio, to which advertisers can add interactive attachments for users to engage with while within the app. This highly interactive advertising option allows users to fully engage with your brand, allowing businesses to enjoy a great ROI.

Get creative.

Here is where Snapchat pulls to the forefront in terms of its creativity and versatility as a great marketing tool. Capitalizing on its fun, spontaneous, and easygoing vibe, Snapchat offers a great platform for marketers to get really creative with campaigns. One such tactic that has produced great results for larger corporations is Snapchat “takeovers.” This involves companies handing over their Snapchat accounts for the day to an employee, intern or other influencer. Obviously not done without some basic prearranged ground rules, this tactic allows the target audience to see authentic promotion of your brand while also keeping the material fresh, unique, and engaging. In this way, companies can also offer promo codes, run special promotions, or offer their target audience sneak previews or a look behind the scenes.

If you are looking for the next greatest thing in marketing, Snapchat may be your answer! This immersive video and image advertising experience is truly what affords Snapchat a leg up on its competition and inherently allows those who advertise through this medium a significantly more powerful, and thusly effective, marketing campaign. Before you get started, remember that the nature of Snapchat is light and fun, but highly engaging. Try to keep your material within these parameters organically. Additionally, don’t overwhelm your audience with material- try to post 3-4 times per day, about 3-4 hours apart. The best part is that you shouldn’t take posting too seriously! If you are enjoying the process and letting your creative juices flow, your audience will too. And that can only mean great things for marketing your business.

Brockett Creative Group has been delivering best-in-class website, marketing, and branding services to our clients for over 15 years. For more information about our services, or to get started with a Snapchat marketing campaign for your business, contact us today!

Are you a nonprofit working to generate more traffic and interest in your organization? Do you want to raise more money for your cause? Would you like to accomplish all of this, and receive up to $10,000 per MONTH in free advertising? We thought so! Here are three reasons why your nonprofit organization needs to apply for a Google Ads grant.

No Cost to You

We’ll start here: it’s free. The Google Ad Grant program is a donation-based program designed to provide free, in-kind advertising to approved 501(c)(3) nonprofits as a way to help them reach a more global audience, translating into more awareness and therefore more donations. Basically, it allows you to promote your organization on the internet via text-ads. With over 40,000 Google searches per second (yes, per SECOND) and over 3.5 billion searches per day, Google has become the number-one tool through which to reach your donors, volunteers, and consumers. With no cost to you and up to $10,000 in free advertising per month, you can use your financial resources for what matters the most- your cause.

Raise more awareness for your cause through highly specialized ads

With a Google Grant, Google’s advertising and marketing team will work for you, by creating unique and specialized ads that market your nonprofit to the right audience, increasing your brand visibility where it matters most and resulting in high-conversion traffic to your site. Additionally, when a viewer clicks your ad, they will be sent to the strongest page of your website (the page that leads to the most action), instead of just being sent to the home page. There, they will at once be met with information about who you are, a call to action that will encourage them to donate, join your mailing list, become a member, etc, thus translating into more support for your cause.

Promote your nonprofit with a Google Ads Campaign

With advertising dollars you receive from a Google Grant, you will be able to bid on keywords so that your adwill display above or alongside a competitor’s ad. Bidding on Keywords will help bring your ads to the top, and if they’re not, Google Grant’s team will help you figure out why, and fix it. In this way, your nonprofit can expand its reach by utilizing certain keywords to make sure that your ads are seen by the right people. If your site also provides strong, relatable content, your viewers will want to stay, and keep coming back, which can only benefit your organization to help you succeed in achieving your goals for success.

At Brockett Creative Group, we specialize in applying for, setting up, managing, optimizing, and maintaining Google Grants on your nonprofit’s behalf. If you are interested in receiving up to $10,000 a month in free advertising, contact us today to set up your free consultation.

Each business, organization, and non-profit organization has a different approach to successfully marketing itself and gaining customers. Fortunately, there are different Google Ads options to help everyone achieve their goals in a way that best suits them. No matter which kind of business is yours, you are sure to find the right kinds of Ads that will generate traffic and profit by reaching the right people at the right time- specifically, those who are most likely interested in the product or service that you offer to get you a great ROI.

It all starts with a campaign, a budget, and relevant keywords- and you’re ready to advertise through Google Ads! At BCG, we specialize in helping our clients choose and launch the campaign that produces the best results for them. Here is a great guide to help you get started.

Search Network

One of the easiest ways to reach potential customers is to show your ads to those who are already searching for your specific product or service. A Search Network Campaign only shows your text ads when someone searches for terms that include or are relevant to your ad’s keywords. For example, if you own a window replacement business, your ads would appear when a search is done for “home improvement.” Your ads will appear near Google search results, thereby advertising your organization to high-potential customers.

Display Network

Unlike the Search Network, the Display Network allows you to advertise more broadly, and to people who are not necessarily searching just for your specific keywords or product. As part of a campaign designed to pull in new customers as well as re-market your product to those who may have shown previous interest, the Display Network employs engaging, appealing ad formats to catch the attention of potential customers. Here, Google also uses automated targeting by strategically using your existing audiences and landing pages, leading to more conversions.

Shopping

A shopping ad is designed to promote local or online inventory by boosting traffic to your website or store. Through photos, title, price, and location of the product, these ads give users a sense of what you’re selling before they even click the ad. Shopping ads don’t use keywords- instead, they use your product data to determine where to show your ads.

Video

Any business can benefit from creating a video- whether it’s simply to promote your product or service for the first time, or to keep your audience engaged with fun updates and new content. This type of campaign show video ads across the Google Display Network or within other platforms like YouTube.

Universal App

This ad platform is fit for those who have an application to promote across Google, Google Play, and Youtube. Through adding a few lines of text and a bid, Google Ads will help lead to more app installs, and in-app action. Google’s systems test which ads are performing the best and generating the most value, and will show them to audiences more often.

Here to Help

Now that the Internet has become the primary way to promote products and services, it is fundamental to have a strong online influence in the midst of the growing competitive market.

As a Google Partner, Brockett Creative Group is certified by Google to create and manage your company’s Google Ads so that you can reach your goals in the way that best fits you. Contact us today to get started on your Google Ads Campaign!

Online advertising is the most highly recognized way to market a business or organization, and it’s essential that your business is noticed online and by the right audience. Google Ads, formerly Google Adwords, is one of the most effective paid online advertising systems used by thousands of different organizations. It’s super flexible to fit the exact needs and wants of your business. Here are just some of the ways Google Ads can amplify your business:

Exact-Audience Targeting

Creating an Ad with Google is special because it lets you target exactly who would want what you have to offer. By properly setting up and modifying your campaigns, Google makes your ads visible only to people who are likely to become your customer, opt-in to your email list, or positively respond to your call to action.

Refine Your Strategies For the Best Results

Google Ads provides you with fast, transparent results based on how your ads perform, to help you make adjustments accordingly and continually track your campaigns- making them the best they can be. It’s of great value to see details like which keywords consumers use to find your website, their location, the devices they use, and the days and times at which they search.

No Money Wasted

Once your Google Ads campaign is up and running and you’ve caught on to customer habits, you can have such a distinct audience that you only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad. With the information and analytics Google uses, your ads will probably only show to the exact people you want to target, making every dollar count.

Google Ads is becoming a “must” to grow and sustain your business within the heated online competitive market. As a Google Partner, Brockett Creative Group is certified by Google to create and manage your company’s Google Ads campaign.

Email marketing has been around for what seems like forever. From newsletters to product announcements to coupons, chances are that if you have an email address, you’re subscribed to some form of email marketing.

With so much emphasis put on social media lately, it’s easy to forget about the benefits of a good ol’ email marketing campaign. Here are some of the reasons that we at Brockett Creative Group advise so many clients to choose this messaging method:

Email marketing has the best return on investment out of all other marketing efforts.

Recipients opt in, so they are choosing to engage with your brand. There is something about your product or service that your subscribers like, to the point that they invite your messages into their Inboxes (better than the Spam folder!). Your email communications help build the relationship between your brand and your customers (or even your brand and your vendors).

Email marketing is far more affordable than mailing print pieces. The costs of design, printing, and postage add up quickly, and their combined cost could break your budget in no time.

With the Internet and email being accessed on mobile devices, email marketing that is mobile friendly (link to RWD post) allows your audience to view your pieces while on the go.

For eCommerce sites, an automatically generated message can thank your customers for a purchase or donation immediately, which strengthens the relationship between your brand and the consumer.

Newsletter/marketing software allows for personalization: it is possible to have name and list segmentation for recipients, so that messages can be targeted to specific demographics, and the logo/colors/branding for the sender match your corporate identity.

Email marketing allows you to communicate in real time: you can make your consumers aware of recalls, surprise sales, and response to issue (e.g. to clarify that you do not use a controversial product that’s been in the news) instantly.

It is very easy to track who is opening your email marketing messages and to see who is clicking through the links in them; this helps you learn about your customers’ behavior and find out what caught their attention, what interested them, and what didn’t!

Email marketing is shareable to social media platforms, so recipients can share with their friends and followers, taking your message that much further.

Good email marketing pieces will drive recipients to your website, where they will learn about your brand, and eventually take action.

With Approximately 2.6 billion email users worldwide, with an average of 1.7 accounts per user , why wouldn’t you use this efficient and cost-effective method of reaching an audience?

Is your daily planner already maxed out, with no time to put together email marketing? BCG can design the look, manage the address list, write the letter/advertising piece, and send it on your behalf. Call us at 315-797-5088 or shoot us an email, and let’s discuss!

Online and offline marketing strategies can be very effective when done right. Both methods are designed to attract the attention of potential customers and continue to hold the attention (and hopefully affection) of current customers.

There are several methods Brockett Creative Group uses to integrate these two facets of brand marketing:

We ensure that your online and offline marketing efforts have a consistent look and message, so that the consumer’s opinion of your brand is reinforced each time they see one of your marketing pieces (be it a business card or an advertisement on YouTube).

Quick Response (QR) Codes can also be an effective marketing tool. They can be used on business cards so that contact information can be loaded and saved directly to one’s contact list, they can be used on print ads to take the consumer to the commerce page on your website, or they can be used on a poster in a window so passersby can get information about an upcoming event.

Trackable links are used to show you what is driving traffic to your website. For example, you may include a coupon in a specific publication with a unique url (let’s say yourproduct.com/coupon). The consumer types that address into their browser to visit the page, and your analytics will tell you that the traffic came from your investment in the publication. Not only will your website get more hits, but you will also be able to tell which marketing vehicles provide you with the greatest return on investment, allowing you to strategically spend your marketing budget.

To begin integrating your online and offline marketing, email or call Brockett Creative Group at 315-797-5088.